La Mesa condo fire appears accidental

Investigators believe the accidental fire started inside the living room wall leading to a patio, Heartland Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Sonny Saghera said.

The blaze was reported about 6 a.m. at the Daybreak condo complex on Baltimore Drive south of Bertro Drive. A witness said flames were shooting out of the patio roof of an end unit, Saghera said.

The neighboring unit was evacuated as firefighters spent half an hour extinguishing the blaze. Saghera said flames spread up the wall and into space between the living room ceiling and the floor of the room above it.

Saghera said the two-story unit was empty of all furnishings, and was being remodeled. Damage was estimated at $75,000 from the fire, smoke and firefighters who cut holes in the walls to douse the flames.